Family Portrait
by JansenFriedh827
Summary: Years have passed since the incident. The kingdom has weakened, and the immortal Queen has been secluded in her chambers and has all but died to the citizens of Numara. A sad Jansen/Ming fic. R&R Enjoy, rated T just in case.


The thousand-year-old queen rubbed her eyes, pulling the covers away from her and sitting up in her much-too-large bed. She pulled herself out of the bed and walked out of her room and to the balcony. It was late at night and the moon was high, the stars were bright. The Queen wordlessly stared up at them. With a quiet sigh, she turned back to her room and stared, disheartened, at the empty bed. The bed had not been used by anyone except for the Queen herself for the past three years. Had it been three years? Or five? Or maybe even a decade?

The Queen lost count as the years dragged by. Even after so many years, the Queen still was barely able to get much sleep. The City of Numara had flourished under her and the King's rule. At that time, the Queen was filled with happiness. But the joy had faded over the years, along with her kingdom. It began relying on her less. This didn't mean that the city was falling; no, it was still strong. But not from the Queen's choices. Her most trusted companions had taken over her jobs, seeing as she could not complete them. The Queen, to put it in simple words, had gone into a secluded state. She barely ate and slept, and kept to the confinement of her chambers. On occasion she did leave, but only when forced. She usually did not have the strength or the heart. A knock interrupted the Queen's thoughts. Who would be knocking at her door at this time of night?

"Your Highness?" Came a shaky voice, worn by the years.

"Come in, Maia." The old woman slowly opened the door and entered the room.

"I apologize for disturbing you so late at night. Are you quite well?" She asked. "I noticed you haven't had much sleep lately, and you barely finish your meals. Are you all right?" The Queen nodded, and then, realizing this wasn't satisfying the Lady-In-Waiting, turned and gave her a kind smile.

"I'm quite all right. Thank you for asking though. I just don't feel tired," Ming said simply and politely. The old woman still looked unsatisfied, but started to change the subject.

"You've been quite down since the incident with the King four years ago," Maia said.

"Four years? Was it really that long?" The Queen asked, her words surprised but her tone dull. It was not long for the Queen, but she knew every year was inching towards her loyal lady's death.

"Yes. You've been quite down since then," The woman continued. She paused for a moment, then came to stand by the immortal Queen, who had sit on the bed and was looking up at an old portrait. There used to be a picture of the King and Queen dressed in formal wear, trying to look regal. Four years before, though, the immortal Queen had the picture removed and replaced with a lighter picture. It was of a large group, including some of Ming's best friends and the King. They were standing on an old ship they used to navigate with, owned by one of the group members. The King, standing near the middle, was holding up two fingers behind the head of the stoic leader of the group, who had a quite rare smile on his face. Ming was standing next to the playful King, with a cheerful smile as she leaned on his chest.

"Have I?" Ming said absentmindedly, her mind on the old adventures the group used to have.

"And, ever since your child…" Ming remembered her poor baby girl who had died before even being born. She looked down from the portrait. Maia paused for a moment before continuing. "Our kingdom needs you, Lady Ming. I know that you are disheartened by the incident, but the city needs your support," Maia pleaded.

"I have told you before, Maia," The immortal woman said. "If I am ever lost in any way, I trust my kingdom to my loyal Ladies-In-Waiting. The statement holds true. I sincerely apologize for my negligence of the responsibilities of being a Queen," Ming continued. Maia sighed in defeat.

"Yes, Your Majesty," She said quietly, standing up. "I understand." She left the room without another word, quietly closing the door. Ming sighed, laying down onto the bed, but continuing to stare at the ceiling. Closing her eyes, she considered using a spell to calm her down, but it was unnecessary. For the first time in days, the Queen was having a dream-filled sleep- the dream, however, not of choosing.

_The King pulled the collar of his shirt up, looking into the mirror. He turned and adjusted his sleeves, and then his belt. He was soon madly playing with his clothes, tightening strings and loosening buttons._

_"I will never get used to these royal outfits," He said. "They look ridiculous on me." He said, turning to try and look at his back in the mirror. "You think they could have chosen something more… Comfortable?"_

_"They aren't made to be comfortable, but to make you look regal," said Maia, pulling his collar back down and readjusting his sleeves, causing the man to frown. The Queen, who was watching from the back of the room, chuckled a little._

_"Don't worry. You look great," She said politely. The King turned and saw her in a gown, which, on any other person, would have made them look ridiculous. He, however, thought she was beautiful._

_"Why do you always get these beautiful dresses and I get tight suits?" He asked jokingly, feigning yanking at a tight spot on his shirt, much to the dismay of Maia._

_"I think I may have a spare if you want it," Ming said with a laugh._

_"Oh, Queen Ming, you aren't helping me in any way. You know the ceremony starts soon and the King won't stop fiddling with his collar!" Maia said._

_"But it's too low!" He whined, pulling it up again. Maia whacked his hand and pulled it down._

_"Come, it's time for the ceremony," Ming said, pulling Jansen's hand. They jogged to the door and stopped abruptly. "Are you ready?" Ming asked Jansen. He shook his head. _

_"Can't you be the one who announces it?" He whined. The Queen smiled, and they both slowly walked through the door. A large crowd was waiting for the two. The King never truly got used to the large crowds, and the stadiums and citywide announcements. He never got accustomed to the thousands of eyes watching him and only him. Ming felt the man tense next to her at the sight of the crowd. She clenched her hand on his and nodded. He took a deep breath and stepped forward._

_"We are gathered here t-to make an announcement to you, the citizens of Numara!" He said nervously. "This is an enormous occasion that will change the history of Numara. I am here to announce that your ruler, Queen Ming, is soon to have a baby gir-" The King was interrupted by a cry coming from the entrance of the palace. The crowd instantly split apart, and a man ran forward from the crowd, beginning to approach the stage. The man began yelling something and then swiftly pulled a gun out of his large coat. He pointed it at the pregnant Queen. He called out something while cocking the gun. All his words were drowned out. The Queen was frozen, watching the man act, unable to do anything. The man finally screamed out, pulling the trigger. The sound echoed throughout the room. The Queen closed her eyes and tried to put her hands over her belly as to protect the child. When she opened them, she saw the King, holding out his hands and standing in front of the Queen. After a moment of silence, the King fell to the ground before the eyes of the citizens of Numara. Guards tackled the man and ripped the gun out of his hand. The Queen, her mouth wide, slowly got down to her knees. She turned the man over, brushing his hair out of his face._

_"You fool," She said quietly. "I'm immortal," Her tears trailed down her cheeks._

_"I k-keep forgetting that… Don't I…" The dying King said with a smile. "But… Our child… Wasn't," He said, trailing off, unable to get enough air. Ming watched him, unable to do anything. She watched as another mortal died in front of her, while she couldn't. Watched, helplessly, as her husband who would do anything to make her happy, died in front of her._

The Queen moaned in her sleep as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Jansen…"

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I've been thinking about doing something like this for a long time. I've had this idea in my mind for a while. I think the flashback could have been done better, but oh well. I kinda like it :D Sorry if in the beginning the whole 'The Queen' and 'the immortal queen' thing was getting repetitive, but I didn't want to use her name until Maia came in. It kinda opened up at that point. Same with Jansen. I didn't want to use his name until the end. Thanks for reading :) Review please! ;D

Oh, and I hope it wasn't too bad or anything with Jansen's death. I tried not to make it bad, with a gun and whatnot. ;A;

Disclaimer (almost forgot): I do not own Lost Odyssey, Ming, Jansen, or Maia. Or Numara. None of that XD I only own the idea and the random killing man.


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